The Gaming Chat Café

[Jason]

Normally I roll my eyes when I see a new MMO announced from a start up company regardless of their experience, especially when it's doing things like survival, crafting, sandboxy stuff, but the developer video did look promising. There's jank there as I'd expect but the developers seem to have a good understanding of what they want the game to be and how they want to do it. PC first, Steam, social aspects, casual and hardcore aspects, The question with that last bit is making each playstyle fun once you've sank a hundred plus hours into it, but that's not impossible - I play ESO very casually for example.

 

There is one speed bump though, reading this article: 

 

"Additionally, to get around land rushes and players being unable to claim a plot of land, Pax Dei won’t be a single-shard game like EVE Online or Dual Universe, instead, it will feature multiple servers to spread it out. Additionally, Gunnarsson tells me Mainframe’s aim is to allow for up to 20,000 players per shard, so the large world of Pax Dei should be well populated with each player able to build and stake their own claim."

 

One major issue with multiple modern MMO launches is the insistence on keeping with the old style servers, it's resulted in people not being able to play together at launch due to servers being full as well as long term problems as server populations dwindle. If you can jump between servers and bring your character and progess, that would be good, but if not, that will be a problem. It's a big issue with doing these very player driven worlds, there's simply not enough land for everyone without going down the infinite procedural generation route which can make things a bit pointless depending on the game. But yea, carving up the playerbase to basically force it has many problems of it's own. Hope they've come up with a good solution for it.

[Failed Again]

3 hours ago, Jason said:

Normally I roll my eyes when I see a new MMO announced from a start up company regardless of their experience, especially when it's doing things like survival, crafting, sandboxy stuff, but the developer video did look promising. There's jank there as I'd expect but the developers seem to have a good understanding of what they want the game to be and how they want to do it. PC first, Steam, social aspects, casual and hardcore aspects, The question with that last bit is making each playstyle fun once you've sank a hundred plus hours into it, but that's not impossible - I play ESO very casually for example.

 

There is one speed bump though, reading this article: 

 

"Additionally, to get around land rushes and players being unable to claim a plot of land, Pax Dei won’t be a single-shard game like EVE Online or Dual Universe, instead, it will feature multiple servers to spread it out. Additionally, Gunnarsson tells me Mainframe’s aim is to allow for up to 20,000 players per shard, so the large world of Pax Dei should be well populated with each player able to build and stake their own claim."

 

One major issue with multiple modern MMO launches is the insistence on keeping with the old style servers, it's resulted in people not being able to play together at launch due to servers being full as well as long term problems as server populations dwindle. If you can jump between servers and bring your character and progess, that would be good, but if not, that will be a problem. It's a big issue with doing these very player driven worlds, there's simply not enough land for everyone without going down the infinite procedural generation route which can make things a bit pointless depending on the game. But yea, carving up the playerbase to basically force it has many problems of it's own. Hope they've come up with a good solution for it.

Nice take, this game does have potential.

I look forward to trying it, but if it's too much like Eve online. It may be too time consuming and an expensive subscription service (multiple characters) etc.

[Jason]

New World is probably the best example of what the game is trying to be. Now, New World had a horror show of a development where the direction of the game changed multiple times, but (I'm assuming) that isn't the case here, which should be a good thing.

 

But yea, the whole basing it around servers sounds like a sensible way to do it but it's one that's just littered with potential issues. Lost Ark came out a year or so ago or whatever it was now and has the same old server structure and what it resulted in is people being completely unable to play with friends for ages cause the servers were completely maxed out for weeks after launch.

 

There's a dangerous sort of thinking that players will just naturally come together and figure it all out and build amazing things together but that's just idealistic thinking, the reality is that players need to be able to organise them selves, create guilds, groups, etc etc, before the servers go live, and if the classic server structure and launch issues f*ck with that then your game is in for a very, very rocky launch that may be difficult or impossible to truly recover from.

[Failed Again]

Well, if it's modeled after Eve, I think there is plenty of potential for development.

The Corporations(eve) there are massive.

 

I just hope that the PvP (GankthemStyle) doesn't doom them.

GoonSwarm with swords ..yicks

Edited March 2 by Failed Again

[Jason]

The issue isn't so much sandbox style of MMO, EVE is unique in that it can have a global server system because of it's style of gameplay and also the fact it's map size is gigantic by nature, there's plenty of room for everybody.

 

With the game this is trying to be they've went for the old style server model, but if the servers are locked and you can't jump between them with your character, it will carve up the playerbase and cause all sorts of issues in the launch weeks and months.

 

It's not a nail in the coffin for the game, but it's something they're going to have to provide a good solution to.

[Failed Again]

Note: No Gameplay

 

What you (may) need to know
Ninja Theory is sharing a new series of developer diaries about the development of the upcoming Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. 
The first in this series shows how the team has used new technology to digitally recreate Iceland, while also discussing the challenges the team faced with the outbreak of the pandemic years ago.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is currently in development for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows PC. 

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by Failed Again

[Max Payne]

Some of you who played Control from Remedy Entertainment, what are your thoughts and opinion? Only played Max Payne games and Alan Wake from them before.

 

IMO Max Payne games had excellent gameplay and Alan Wake was somehow close. So I'm just wondering. Right now it's on sale(more than 50% off).

[Jason]

9 hours ago, Max Payne said:

Some of you who played Control from Remedy Entertainment, what are your thoughts and opinion? Only played Max Payne games and Alan Wake from them before.

 

IMO Max Payne games had excellent gameplay and Alan Wake was somehow close. So I'm just wondering. Right now it's on sale(more than 50% off).

 

Gameplay is pretty good, visuals are excellent (especially w/ rayracing). But it's quite repetitive and formulaic in a lot of aspects, basic crafting/rpg stuff, big part of the loop is go here > kill enemies > do light puzzle > repeat. 

 

It's a game I really wanted to like cause the world is right up my alley but the gameplay was just a bit boring for me so I refunded it.

 

In other news, just a general word of warning to not touch The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition.

 

It's yet another remaster Take-Two has farmed out to a studio who isn't good enough and the result is one of the worst remasters of all time with the issues revolving virtually entirely around performance. It's one of the worst performing new releases in, well, ever. It runs like complete and utter dogsh*t even on literally the highest spec systems out there.

[Failed Again]

will be voiced by the Original actor

 

sorry, there seems to be a dedicated thread for this..

Edited March 11 by Failed Again

[Max Payne]

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/control-ultimate-edition/9P2WJCRJBMRM/0010/9RD9FRSH2FQ0
 

Purchased today and one particular thing I’m confused about.

 

It seems this includes the Xbox One and Series S/X version in a single package with all the DLCs. I don’t own a current gen console so the newer version is whatever,  but what I’m curious is if this package includes all DLCs for S/X version only, or both Xbox One and Series S/X versions.

 

Why I don’t check on my Xbox is because it’s being repaired.

[Jason]

3 hours ago, Max Payne said:

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/control-ultimate-edition/9P2WJCRJBMRM/0010/9RD9FRSH2FQ0
 

Purchased today and one particular thing I’m confused about.

 

It seems this includes the Xbox One and Series S/X version in a single package with all the DLCs. I don’t own a current gen console so the newer version is whatever,  but what I’m curious is if this package includes all DLCs for S/X version only, or both Xbox One and Series S/X versions.

 

Why I don’t check on my Xbox is because it’s being repaired.

 

The Series S/X version is simply a visual upgrade as far as I know. No content differences.

[Big Molio]

My custom designed LIMBO mug arrived...

 

[Covered Wagon Fan]

So Gamestop are pulling out of Ireland.  It's a shame as I always liked visiting their shop (being going to it since 2012) in my local shopping centre.  I bought consoles, collector's editions, accessories etc there, did trade-ins there.  The manager and staff there were super and very nice.

 

There has been no date given when the shop will close for good, but Gamestop are expected to be out of the Irish market completely by June/July.

[Jason]

In the UK where I am the GAME store that was in my local shopping centre since I was a kid finally closed up last year, it's now been split up between the House of Fraser building and the USC/SportsDirect store, where it all looks hilariously out of place.

 

It's sad to see but no surprise, everytime I walked past the GAME store it was just so dead. Digital is something like 90-95% of game sales in the UK now I think, it's just completely taken over now, the lockdown sped up the decline of physical a lot as well.

[lndex]

Yea, it feels a bit weird when you've used that store for years. I've had them come and go on my high street for years, too. There's been a Chips, a GameStation, and a Grainger Games. I'm not even sure what's there now. I know CeX is still there.

[Jason]

Chips lol, man that's not a name I've heard in a loooooooooooong time. Used to be the go-to for trading in games that.

 

Here we've had a GAME for yonks, always in the same place, it was the major game store in the entire town outside of the supermarkets and Curry's, it must've been in the same location for a good 25-30 years. CeX is still standing I think but the only time I've been in there it was completely dead, didn't even see anyone behind the counter lmao. 

 

Stores like Amazon and ShopTo just picked away at GAME massively due a mix of price and early deliveries, and then digital just mauled all the dedicated game stores.

[Covered Wagon Fan]

Game used to have a presence in the Republic of Ireland.  I used to go into their shop to get PC games from 1997 to about 2004/2005.  I can't remember when they shut down their shops here.

 

When Gamestop leave at least I will have two Smyths shops I can visit.

[Failed Again]

 

"Paradox Interactive, the parent division of Harebrained Schemes, really knocked it out of the park at GDC 2023 with both The Lamplighters League and Life by You, the Sims 4-challenging life simulator. Thanks to its partnership with Microsoft, Paradox will bring Lamplighters to Game Pass on Day One, though we don't know yet when in 2023 it'll ship".

 

Maybe this with Light-up your day

 

The Lamplighters League fixes my least-favorite part of turn-based strategy games | Windows Central

 

 

Edited March 29 by Failed Again

[Failed Again]

Bohemia has a new 'RTS/FPS crossover' coming, and it's giving me Battlezone vibes--pcgamer

 

 

Bohemia has a new 'RTS/FPS crossover' coming, and it's giving me Battlezone vibes | PC Gamer

 

 

[DODI3OG]

On 3/27/2023 at 9:17 AM, Jason said:

In the UK where I am the GAME store that was in my local shopping centre since I was a kid finally closed up last year, it's now been split up between the House of Fraser building and the USC/SportsDirect store, where it all looks hilariously out of place.

 

It's sad to see but no surprise, everytime I walked past the GAME store it was just so dead. Digital is something like 90-95% of game sales in the UK now I think, it's just completely taken over now, the lockdown sped up the decline of physical a lot as well.

Physical copies are DOA where I live. Only the big cities have stores like Datablitz who sell physical copies and they don't sell them used. IDK how they're holding up, but they're just one of the three gaming retailers in my country and I think they have the biggest presence. There are people who sell used copies, but mostly personal through our versions of Amazon and they run out so fast.

 

We basically have three options. Wait for a digital sale and use vouchers, see if there's a used physical copy available or just buy straight from physical retailers who rarely go down in price unless you're buying Chinese/HK region copies.

[Jason]

Trying Ghostwire Tokyo on GP PC. Nice looking game especailly with raytracing and runs well, nice atmosphere about it albeit the English voice acting isn't great and while I'm not against the much better Japanese voice acting it sorta doesn't work well as you get informed of stuff in combat so you miss what was said cause you don't speak Japanese and you can't look at the subtitles mid combat and whatnot lol.

 

Main problem with it though is the combat is just dreadful honestly. The movement isn't great and the enemies are bullet spongey as all hell, I'm sure it opens up a bit as you unlock more spells but it got repetitive extremely quickly and that's not a great thing when the combat is simply not good.

[Failed Again]

Looks promising.

 

 

 

 

Steam Deck-friendly Windows Handheld Mode shown off in leaked Microsoft Hackathon vid | PC Gamer

Edited April 13 by Failed Again

[Jason]

Promising but may never see the light of day so it's a bit iffy that was leaked in the first place. Given MS's current stance on handheld seems to be cloud based gaming I dunno how interested they would be in making a gaming focused handheld version of Windows.

[Failed Again]

"Build it and they will come", someone once said. Yet maybe that's just a dream.

[universetwisters]

I found a download for the sims 2 ultimate collection and I played it all night last night. I installed a bunch of mods I wanted as a kid but was too dumb to get working and holy sh*t it’s the cleanest best pleasure 

[EmagmaLak]

I really wish there was a way to skip certain game updates. I downloaded Cyberpunk again recently, with the intentions of replaying it again in the near future.

Today there is an update queued on my game for their "Ray Tracing: Overdrive" mode, and it's 19.4gb on Steam. It's not about the storage, but I don't use Ray Tracing in any capacity, so I will never, ever use or even try "over drive" mode. Yet I have to download an almost 20gb update for some fancy lighting I will never use. I know they will BS and say it also includes fixes for this and that, but I bet they are tiny and the bulk is for the RT mode. 

 

PS: I know this is not the first or last game to push updates like this, but this one just aggravated me. 

 

 

[lndex]

If it helps, every time I've had to update Cyberpunk via the GOG launcher, it's downloaded like the full game or something, pretty sh*te.

[Failed Again]

How to install Windows on Steam Deck: Dual booting Windows 11 and SteamOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to install Windows on Steam Deck: Dual booting Windows 11 and SteamOS | Windows Central

Edited April 15 by Failed Again

[Covered Wagon Fan]

I took out my Adidas sneaker box today where I keep my XB360 games.

 

I've had my Xbox 360S for over eleven years and I still use it.  A great console.

[Failed Again]

How to play Diablo 4 and not end up single

this is very funny..

 

 

How to play Diablo 4 and not end up single | Windows Central